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the risk of lung cancer for men who smoke is more than 2,000 percent higher than it is for men who don't smoke. Keep in mind that when you hear about relative risk, there's no upper limit to the percentage increase in risk. Most people think 100 percent is the highest possible risk, but that isn't true when talking about relative risk.

A relative risk of 100 percent means your risk is twice as high as that of someone without that risk factor. A 200 percent relative risk means that you are three times as likely to develop that condition.

I am a heavy smoker (two packs a day) and so far my HIV condition has not changed anything. My lungs are "clean" and my doctor said those are totally unrelated. He wishhes I stop smoking, which is understandable and is my goal. But Hiv has nothing to do with it.

The Mayo Clinic page has a handy section called "Keep cancer risk statistics in perspective" lower down the page...

Unlike Mayo, serious stat bods don't use % for relative risks. And, unlike Mayo, they include a confidence interval or some other measure of how accurate the nos are. Mayo just wants a big fig to scare people off smoking.

On lung cancer, the important factor here seems to be (so far) HIV itself. It is moderately well established that the relative risk (RR) compared to HIV-negative people of HIV-positive people getting lung cancer is between 1:2 and 1:8, regardless of smoking, age or use of combo. The only factor influencing the RR is (1) being HIV-positive (2) in some studies, viral load (higher increases probability - ah yes, does not hAART reduce viral load...). Many other cancers show a 1:1 RR comparing HIV-negative to HIV-positive people, and incidence has declined for HIV-related cancers eg KS, NHL post-HAART (hmmm...).

There's no strong evidence combo generally causes cancer or increases the risk . Some research suggests a case for further investigation (of particular drugs/drug types), especially for people who have been HIV-positive since birth on treatment.

If you's worried about cancer take steps to reduce the risk (eg stop smoking) and perhaps get a regular screen (though evidence says this does not improve outcomes except in cases of defined risk, so save your money).

Most people who get cancer are very old. Moral: live long enough you will most likely get a cancer of one sort or another, HIV or no.

A depressed & creaky immune system is likely to increase the absolute risk of cancer (like old people), but with HIV, how and why we don't know. So far, combo has not in itself been identified as an independent, contributing factor to the risk of cancer. Anyone who says it is show me a definitive study. There is, clearly, scope for more research.

I am only posting in this thread because the 2,000% ALARM will worry people. Moral: don't smoke. exercise, eat and sleep well, be gentle on yourself, stay off cancer websites. It's not rocket science.

Great, another exciting and upbeat post to start my morning. Thanks bimazek. BTW, I wonder if I'll get killed by a bus, in a car accident, lightning (it's supposed to storm today), or maybe choke on my lunch and die? Maybe we can find the stats on all those happening and post them, too (note: I'm kidding about finding those stats, please don't). Maybe you can find something positive in life to think / post about. It'd be good for you (and us).

On lung cancer, the important factor here seems to be (so far) HIV itself. It is moderately well established that the relative risk (RR) compared to HIV-negative people of HIV-positive people getting lung cancer is between 1:2 and 1:8, regardless of smoking, age or use of combo.

I find that even more worrisome. What you're saying is that even if we avoid smoking (and avoid smoke), if we're totally compliant with our meds, and if we have great responses (undetectable v/l, robust cd4s), we're STILL up to 800% more likely to get lung cancer.

HIV is a frustrating condition for many reasons, not least of all because, apparently, even when the treatment is working wonderfully and HIV is supposedly "in hiding," it can still cause things like lipo (according to some of these threads) and...lung cancer? WTF...

Well maybe the risk of a smoker developing lung cancer vs a non-smoker is 2000%. I wouldn't be surprised, but this is only because the risk of developing lung cancer if you do not smoke is incredibly small - I mean, it's the kind of thing that gets published in medical journals. As far as there are rules in medicine, this is one: non-smokers do not get lung cancer.

The picture is more complicated in HIV+ people, but isn't it always. Although lung cancer is a non-AIDS-related cancer, it does increase in incidence with lower CD4 counts. The relationship might not be as clear as with the AIDS-cancers, but it is there:

I personally liked the study reported here - that showed that people with AIDS-diagnoses are about 3.8x greater risk for lung cancer, after you control for smoking (which is higher in HIV+ populations). The people who were at particular risk were younger AIDS patients - between 15 and 40.

the risk of lung cancer for men who smoke is more than 2,000 percent higher than it is for men who don't smoke. Keep in mind that when you hear about relative risk, there's no upper limit to the percentage increase in risk. Most people think 100 percent is the highest possible risk, but that isn't true when talking about relative risk.

A relative risk of 100 percent means your risk is twice as high as that of someone without that risk factor. A 200 percent relative risk means that you are three times as likely to develop that condition.

A recent study said that there is no statistic difference of a HIV+ that smokes or doesn't smoke. So what does that mean? The likelyhood of getting lung cancer being POZ is the same virtually whether you smoke or not. |

Wheres the link? I cant remember but if you search on this site there was an article early this year about it. What does this mean for me? I dont really care. I quit smoking 3 mos ago regardless of how I die at least i quit that nasty habit.

"Smoking and HIV Smoking, in itself, does not make HIV infection worse. The rate at which HIV disease progresses or the number of CD4 cells lost is no greater in smokers than non-smokers. Anti-HIV medication is just as effective in smokers as non-smokers.

However, there is very good evidence that people with HIV who smoke are more likely to get certain infections and AIDS-defining illnesses, particularly those affecting the chest. It's known that smokers are approximately three times more likely than non-smokers to develop the AIDS-defining pneumonia PCP. Oral thrush, a common complaint in people with HIV, is also more common amongst smokers.

Emphysema, a smoking-related illness, occurs much more commonly in HIV-positive smokers than HIV-negative smokers. It's well known that smoking increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. It's thought that having a long-term illness like HIV might increase the risk of heart disease. Further, some anti-HIV drugs can cause increases in blood fats, and this can contribute to cardiovascular illnesses. If you smoke and take anti-HIV drugs, then your risks might be increased even further.

It's well established that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. Although relatively rare, lung cancer seems to occur more often in people with HIV, even if they are taking anti-HIV drugs and have a well-controlled viral load. In one study, all the HIV-positive people who developed lung cancer were smokers.